07-08-24 CC Reg Mtg Agenda PacketHandout at 07-08-24 City Council Regular Meeting
LoC,U.
Minneapoll'ols turns to
cameras to crack down on
speeding
MnDOT also has permission to place a speed camera in work zones.
By Tim Harlow Star Tribune
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Minneapolis rolled out a system known as PhotoCop in 2005, but the state Supreme Court ruled the
program invalid because it conflicted with state law and forced vehicle owners who were cited to prove
they were not the ones driving.
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as Aug. 1, 2025, and run for four years.
"Minneapolis now has authority," said Ethan Fawley, who coordinates the city's Vision Zero plan
to eliminate traffic deaths within the next three years.
Over the next 15 months, Minneapolis will have to flesh out a plan on how the program would
work, conduct community engagement and determine where up to 42 cameras can be placed,
according to the law, in "geographically distinct areas and in multiple communities with differi
socioeconomic conditions." The city also will need to procure equipment and hire traffic came
enforcement agents. I
The pilot gives Minneapolis a second chance at using technology that is already in place in more
-md aboutes across the United States. The ciV,,, rolladDjAa-qrstem known
as PhotoCop in 2005, but it didn't last long. The state Supreme Court ruled the program invalid
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would get a letter for the first offense and a $40 citation for subsequent offenses. That would
double to $8o for drivers caught going 20 mph or more over the speed limit.
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The money collected would be used for operating costs or to pay for traffic safety or traffic -
calming projects.
Drivers could attend a traffic safety class on in lieu of paying the fine, according to the law.
Tickets will be sent to vehicle owners but can be contested; an owner can provide a swom
statement stating they were not driving at the time of the offense.
"We are not sure how often that would be happening," said Fawley while speaking at a traffic
safety conference Thursday in Brooklyn Center. But the main goal of the pilot is to focus on
it giving drivers a chance to change their behavior."
Automated speed cameras, which are approved by the Federal Highway Administration, have
shown to reduce fatalities and injuries by 20% to 37%, the agency said. Some studies have shown
a dramatic drop in the number of drivers going more than io mph over the speed limit when
cameras are present, FHWA says®
Minneapolis would use the cameras at the outset to focus on speeders, but could expand the pilot
to look for red light runners, Fawley said. Speeding is the leading cause of crashes leading to
deaths and serious injuries in Minneapolis — an issue he said earlier this year is worse here than
in any other parts of the country.
City data showed speeding contributed to 136 crashes, resulting in a fatality or serious injury
'between 2017 and 2021. Red light running came in fourth, with 85 crashes.
Speeding in work zones has also been a problem for nDOT. The agency said the number of
drivers going 15 mph or more over the speed limit has increased since 2020.
In a test program MnDOT ran in Maple Grove in November 2020 when interstate 94 was under
construction, the agency found just 36% of the more than 333,000 drivers who passed through
the work zone obeyed the 6o mph speed limit.
The test found 60% of drivers going between 61 and 75 mph and 13% Of motorists driving 76
mph or faster, including several clocked at loo mph or more. Speeding was at its worst at 3 P.m.
A D VERT ISE M ENT
'e hope putting something in front of them will make them slow, down," said MnDOT engineer
Mark Wagner.
Violations won't go on a driver's record (though they would for commercial drivers) and can't be
used to revoke, suspend or cancel a license, the law says. Cameras can only capture the rear
license plate and can't be used as license plate readers.
It's not yet clear who would administer traffic safety classes, what would be included in the
curriculum and whether they would be in person or online. "A lot of work still has to be done,"
Fawley said.